The iPhone X’s ugly notch is a necessary compromise between design and functionality. Until Apple finds a way to hide all the front-facing cameras, speakers, and sensors under the screen, the notch will be found on all iPhones going forward — it’s also a neat marketing trick that makes the iPhone X recognizable from a crowd of all-screen phones.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 will not copy the iPhone X’s notch, but that doesn’t mean it’s not bound to happen sometime in the future, and a...